“I smoked cigarettes only for two years in my 20s. It felt much harder to quit nine months of e-cigarette use at age 35. The NY Quitline was instrumental in providing support; I wouldn’t have been able to become tobacco-free on my own.”
These are words of wisdom from 38-year-old Dan S. of Plattsburgh, who has enjoyed more than two years of tobacco-free living with free assistance from the New York State Quitline. Dan hopes his story will inspire others to pursue a tobacco-free lifestyle for 2025 and beyond.
Dan tried cigarettes in his 20s and quit “cold turkey” after using them for only two years. Later in life at age 35, when he started nursing school, he turned to e-cigarettes as a way to manage stress. After nine months and a worsening addiction to the products, Dan realized he was struggling with health issues and needed help to quit.
“I already had asthma, and using e-cigarettes made it even harder to breathe,” Dan recalled. “Fortunately, fellow nurses at the hospital where I worked told me the NY Quitline was a top-notch service to learn how to quit and get free resources.”
After Dan called the NY Quitline and spoke with a tobacco treatment specialist, they determined nicotine replacement therapy in the form of nicotine lozenges might work best for him to overcome e-cigarette cravings. Dan received a free supply via mail and immediately made efforts to overcome his addiction.
“My partner was very supportive, and I also was motivated because I didn’t want my two little children to be exposed to tobacco products,” Dan said. “Stress and peer pressure led to me using e-cigarettes, but now I’m proudly tobacco-free since the summer of 2022. I especially thank the NY Quitline for their free support and medications. The nicotine lozenges would have been expensive to purchase on my own.”
Dan not only overcame e-cigarette use but also became sober with encouragement from a friend. Dan graduated nursing school with a clean bill of health and now works at a local hospital as a registered nurse. He also began weight-training shortly after graduation and developed the strength and stamina needed to referee local organized rugby games.
“It’s like a breath of fresh air to be tobacco-free and it feels good to not be controlled by tobacco products,” Dan said. “I recommend the NY Quitline to all my patients and tell anyone who’s trying to quit to never give up. Even if quitting feels difficult and you slip up, you can always have another ‘day one’ anytime.”
Anyone may contact the NY Quitline by calling 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487). They can also visit nysmokefree.com to connect with a specialist through an online chat, request a call-back or order free nicotine replacement therapy medications. The NY Quitline additionally offers a free texting program to quit smoking or vaping, by texting QUITNOW (English) or DÉJELO YA NY (Spanish) to 333888.
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